


A Last Birthday Surprise

by chrising



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Birthday, Fluff, Love, M/M, One Shot, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27179525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chrising/pseuds/chrising
Summary: Yusuke frets over what to get Ren for his birthday and seeks out advice.---Written for my friend on the occasion of her birthday.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Kitagawa Yusuke, Kitagawa Yusuke & Persona 5 Protagonist, Kitagawa Yusuke/Kurusu Akira
Comments: 1
Kudos: 31





	A Last Birthday Surprise

“Um, Kitagawa-kun?”

Yusuke ignored the voice. The canvas set up before him was only half-covered in paint. The paint on the palette was long-dry and his ideas along with it. He stood staring at the half-formed art, arms crossed.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt, Kitagawa-kun, but do you have a moment?”

Yusuke slowly felt his concentration fading from his zen-like trance and back to reality. He slid his gaze behind him to see the girl standing behind him. It was the stunning shogi idol, Hifumi Togo.

“Hm?” was all the utterance Yusuke would spare for the girl.

“It’s just, class is over,” she said.

“I’m aware. I’m thinking,” Yusuke said.

“Yes, that’s fine, but…it’s just…I need to get my painting from the corner so I can turn it in,” Hifumi said, standing on tip-toes so she could point over the tall boy’s shoulder.

“Oh, my apologies,” Yusuke said, flourishing himself out of the way.

“Thank you.”

Hifumi went past Yusuke’s canvas and over to a corner where a painting had been laid to dry. It was a simple composition in the traditional Japanese style - a copy of the Great Wave of Kanagawa, except that there was a young woman surfing on a shogi piece.

“Your painting is passable,” Yusuke said.

“I’m so glad you think so, since passing is exactly what I hope to accomplish with it,” Hifumi said with a smile. “I’m not that good at art. I took it as a graduation requirement. I’m definitely not like you or the others in your cohort.”

“Yes, your unique skill is shogi, is it not?”

Everyone at Kosei Academy had a unique skill. It was a requirement for getting into the school.

“Yes…though I suppose that isn’t going as well as it should be.”

“Ah yes, I’m sorry. I heard about that. Do not let it get you down. If you truly believe shogi is your future, then you must remain dedicated to it. Push past your slump.”

“Thank you for the words of encouragement,” Hifumi said. “Um, Kitagawa-kun, I feel as if I should repay my encouragement with some of my own. What was it you were thinking about? This painting?”

“No. It’s my boyfriend’s birthday this week and I’m not sure what to do about it.”

“Oh,” Hifumi said, a little surprised. “I see. You look so deep in thought I figured you were contemplating an artistic problem.”

“It _is_ an artistic problem, in a manner of speaking. My boyfriend means a great deal to me, and I wish to use his birthday as an moment to express that to him.”

“That’s very sweet…why don’t you just say it to him?”

“It’s not enough. Art, every form of art, is about conveying what words cannot. I need him to experience how deeply I feel for him. But this is my first relationship, and I do not know entirely how to do that properly.”

“Have you tried painting for him?” Hifumi asked.

“I have. Several times. And he has accepted all of them graciously, put them up in his room, has adorned them with praised and adulation…”

“So you don’t want to do it again? You’re worried it’s boring to him?”

“I don’t think it’s that. He…mm…he is quiet by nature. He’s always watching, always taking in the situation around him. He understands people very quickly and is able to form deep bonds with them. He’s kind, reliable, and compassionate.”

“He sounds lovely,” Hifumi remarked.

“He is.”

“But you don’t know where his compassion ends and where his true feelings begin.”

Yusuke mulled that over for a few moments.

“Yes…yes, I think that’s precisely it. Not long ago I was in a very terrible artistic slump. He helped me through it. Despite the fact that he didn’t need to, that he hardly knew me, he stuck by me through the whole ordeal. When I wanted to be alone, he pushed through that boundary and made me accept his help. It is how I fell in love with him, and he with me. That love would have never formed without his deep empathy and compassion. And I feel that when I give him a painting…that is a gift more about _me_ than it is about him.”

“I think I understand,” Hifumi said. “My fall from the shogi idol was a result of conflicts I had with my mother. Aseverything came to a head, there was a boy who helped me through it. He was patient and kind and knew how to encourage me. But in the end, he didn’t have the sort of romantic feelings that had bloomed in my own heart.”

“I’m sorry,” Yusuke said.

“I’m fine. It just wasn’t meant to be. But it sounds like the two of you were. Maybe you’re overthinking this. In shogi, sometimes the best move is the simplest.”

“Hmm…perhaps.”

“Say, is your boyfriend someone I know? Maybe I could help.”

“No, Ren doesn’t go to our school.”

“Ren? I mean that’s a common name but…and…you…” Hifumi frowned. Yusuke glanced over at her.

“Is something wrong?”

Yusuke watched as Hifumi’s face made interesting expressions. Then she suddenly stood a little taller, as if something had been lifted from her.

“Thank you, Yusuke, you’ve given me some closure. I think you should just do whatever is in your heart. Trust me, it’ll be enough.”

Hifumi took her shogi surfer painting and left the art room. Yusuke frowned.

“What a strange girl.”

***

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me at such short notice.”

“No problem! Any excuse to go shopping,” Ann said.

Yusuke and Ann were in Harajuku, strolling down the boulevards of trendy shopping.

“What do you think he’d like?” Yusuke asked, his eyes examining the clothes of a nearby men’s fashion store.

“Hm…I think you should get him a really sexy long coat!”

“You mean like the one he wears in the metaverse?”

“Oh, huh, I forogt about that…but, he does look _great_ in that. Maybe he’d want to strut around in something similar?” Ann suggested.

“Hmm…I suppose it does carry a certain aesthetic weight to it. And he does look rather ravishing in a long coat.”

“See? What did I tell you, I’m an expert! Ooh, look at this one! Charcoal gray! It’ll bring out the smokiness of his eyes. Come on!”

Ann dragged Yusuke into the shop by his arm.

Two minutes later, Yusuke trudged out of the shop with Ann looking guilty behind him.

“Why is a coat so expensive…”

“Sorry…I forgot you don’t have any money.”

“Yes it’s a fine coat, but who can spend that much on a single article of clothing,” Yusuke kept muttering to himself.

“Maybe you could sell a painting?” Ann said, trying to be cheerful.

“What else could we buy?”

“Uh…well, maybe a scarf?“

They went in.

They came out.

“It’s one piece of fabric, four inches wide! How could they expect to charge that much for it! It is criminal!” Yusuke complained, perhaps a little too loudly.

“Yusuke, come on, you’re making a scene…”

“Let’s change their hearts, Ann!”

“Oooookay, I think it’s time to go.”

***

“Ugh, this isn’t fair. First, _you_ of all people get to date our super-hot leader, and now you want me to help you? You’re too selfish, Inari.”

Futaba’s room was illuminated only by computer monitors. She was frantically clicking and tapping commands on her keyboard. Somehow, she was playing two games on her computer at once - one MOBA, one turn-based civilization builder. And she was surprisingly good at both them.

“Well, you are sort of sibling-like. You, him, and Boss form a type of family, don’t you think?”

“Grrr…I mean, _yes_ , you’re right, _sort of,_ but do you have to call us sibling-like? Ugh, I bet that’s why he didn’t date me, he just sees me as a little sister…”

Yusuke eyed a bag on the ground from the electronics store in Akihabara. He bent down and gently lifted one edge so he could peer inside. There was a box with a new figurine from Neo Featherman X.

“Does he like Featherman? Is this your present for him?” Yusuke asked.

“Hey, no snooping! And I don’t know if he likes Featherman, I just thought that the figure was cool and that he might like it.”

“I see. So your strategy is to share things that you enjoy with him. A type of bonding that might grow your relationship as you share a common interest. Also, it’s a display of sacrifice, since you are giving him something that is precious to you.”

“It’s not really a sacrifice, I already have that figure. Aw, come on mid! Burst them down when I use the ult. I swear nobody knows how to play this game…” Futaba grumbled.

“Then why choose this gift?”

One of the monitors displays “You Won.” Futaba sighs, and spins around in her chair.

“I don’t know, Inari. It’s a birthday present. It’s not like one single act is going to make a major difference, is it? Why are you so worked up over this?”

“I just want him to understand how deeply I feel for him.”

“Can’t you just make out with him or something?” Futaba asked. “Or do something _special_ for him? Oh, have you guys gone all the way yet? Maybe you could do that! Although I bet you’ve already done things like that…hey, how big is his thing?”

“T-that’s all rather personal!” Yusuke said, feeling the blush burn on his cheeks.

“Psh, well if you’re not gonna tell me the good stuff, then go bother someone else!”

***

“I dunno, man, why you asking me?” Ryuji asked.

“You are his best friend,” Yusuke replied. “I’m trying to find the things that he enjoys so that I can get him an appropriate birthday present to show him how much he means to me.”

“Eh, well,” Ryuji said rubbing his head. “I mean, we do all sorts of just…normal stuff, I guess.”

Yusuke and Ryuji were leaning against a wall in the underground walkway of the Shibuya station watching people go by.

“What is normal?”

“I dunno, just, normal! We read manga, we watch action movies, we play video games. Normal guy stuff.”

“What are his favorites of those?”

“Uh…you know, I don’t know if he has any. He usually just does whatever. He’s not that picky about things, you know?”

“Yes, I have noticed that,” Yusuke said, holding his chin in his hand in contemplation. “Does that not bother you?”

“Huh? Why would it?”

“Because perhaps he is denying his own preferences to make you happy,” Yusuke explained. Ryuji frowned and crossed his arms.

“Nah, I don’t see it that way. I mean, it’s _Ren_ we’re talking about. Joker. If he didn’t want to do something, he wouldn’t. The guy has an iron will, ya know?”

“You make a good point,” Yusuke said. “Could it be that he has such an open mind about things that he has no strong preferences?”

“Well, I’d probably just call it being a laid back dude, but yeah, sure. I mean it’s like ramen. Ren and I have this favorite ramen shop we like to go to. But, it’s not like I wouldn’t go with him to a different ramen shop. The important part is that we get something to eat and hang out,” Ryuji said. He frowned again. “Did that make any sense?”

“Yes, it was quite insightful. Thank you, Ryuji, for offering me some clarity. By the way, what are you getting him?”

“Oh, I’m just gonna treat him to ramen.”

***

“Hello, Yusuke,” Makoto said as she approached him Inokashira Park. Yusuke stood from the bench.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, I know you are quite busy.”

“It’s not a problem at all. How can I help you?”

“I’m having some difficulty figuring out what to get Ren for his birthday. I was hoping to get your advice on the matter.”

“O-oh, I see…um…okay, sure, yes, a birthday preset…for Ren…yes…that is a, um, rather important…” Makoto stammered along. The composed Queen of the Phantom Thieves seemed to be collapsing in on herself. Yusuke felt a tightening in his chest and a sudden rush of guilt.

“Ah, I see this question has made you uncomfortable. I apologize, I won’t take up any more of your time. Please forgive me.”

“No, wait, Yusuke,” Makoto said, taking a deep breath. She shut her eyes and gathered herself. “Please, sit down. I need to explain.”

They sat together on the park bench.

“To be honest, I had very strong feelings for Ren. I was actually planning on confessing to him, if you can believe it, and part of that was to buy him a very nice birthday present. I got him some expensive cologne that I thought would smell nice on him. But then you and he started dating, and it turned out that it was past the point where I could return the gift. So I’m just embarrassed about this topic. I’m embarrassed that I misread the situation between him and I, embarrassed I spent so much money, embarrassed that you would trust me enough to ask me such a personal question when I clearly don’t understand these things very well…”

Makoto folded her hands in her lap. Her fingers played against each other nervously.

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about. If I’ve learned anything of love in these past few months it’s that it requires tremendous amounts of bravery and fortitude. You loved the man that I love, and so you and I have a great deal in common,” Yusuke said.

Makoto looked up at Yusuke and nodded. “I never thought of it that way. I was worried you’d be jealous or upset with me.”

“You are our Queen, Makoto. We look to you for guidance. It was only natural that I ask for your guidance in this matter. But if it makes you uncomfortable, then I will seek out my own answers.”

“You’re too kind, Yusuke.” Makoto looked up at the park and all the people walking by. “I think that deep down, Ren is just happy that we’re with him. When he first came to Shujin, I of course knew who he was, and was told to look out for him as he joined our student body. But I got an overwhelming sense of loneliness from him. All of us, but you especially, healed that for him. I think that’s what matters the most.”

“Yes…I feel much the same way. I didn’t realize how lonely I was until we came together as friends and teammates,” Yusuke said. “Perhaps Ren and I are more alike than I realize.”

“Yes, I would agree with that. It’s what makes you a good couple.”

“Makoto, you should still give him the cologne. I think he will enjoy it, and I assure you there will be no jealousy on my end. And perhaps it will give you some closure.”

Makoto nodded and smiled.

“You’re a good friend, Yusuke.”

***

“What does he like to do?” Morgana asked.

“Yes, you spend the most time with him of anyone,” Yusuke said. “What else does he do in his spare time?”

“Hm, he does lots of things,” Morgana mused. “He has some part-time jobs. He works at 777, the flower shop, the beef bowl shop, Crossroads…”

“He does?”

“Yeah, though he’s kind inconsistent in where he works. People sure are forgiving of him and his schedule. But he also likes to go to different places in the city. He watches movies, goes to the batting cage, fishes, prays at the temple, reads, works out, plays video games, studies, hangs out at the maid cafe in Shinjuku…”

“A maid cafe?”

“Yeah, he _loves_ that place. I mean, he won’t admit it, but we sure go there a lot…oh, and then there’s all the other people he hangs out with.”

“What other people?”

“Well, there’s Iwai at the airsoft shop, and the doctor lady, and the fortune teller…oh, there’s the politician at Central Square, and the kid at the arcade, and the shogi girl at the church.”

“Hifumi?”

“Yeah, her. Oh, and sometimes we talk to that reporter. We have to deal with Mishima now and again…ah, and his teacher! Though we usually only see her as a maid.”

“Another maid!?” 

Yusuke bent down and picked Morgana up.

“You will take me to this maid cafe at once. I must unlock the secret of the maids and he finds them so entrancing.”

“Ack, hey, put me down!”

Yusuke went to the maid cafe. He did not improve his charm.

***

“I’m making him a coffee blend,” Haru said.

“A blend?”

“Yes. Many coffees are actually a combination of coffees mixed together in specific ratios in order to create a distinct flavor profile. It’s why Sojiro-san has so many different coffees on the wall. I thought a lot about Ren and then created a blend of coffee that I think describes him the best. Would you like to try it?”

“Please,” Yusuke said.

The two of them were in Haru’s rather extravagant home. It was always a bit of a shock to Yusuke whenever they came over here. Haru was such a sweet and caring person, so genuine and present that Yusuke often forgot how wealthy she was. And, with the recent moves made by Okumara Foods, it seemed that her wealth would be secure for a long time coming. Ren had helped her escape her fiance and determine who within her company she could trust, and these days Haru’s focus was on helping to open the cafe that would honor her grandfather.

Haru glided around the kitchen, heating water, setting out mugs, putting in pour-over filters, and so on. She prepared the coffee expertly, filling the kitchen with a mouth-watering aroma.

“Let it cool a few minutes before you try it. When coffee is too hot, it loses some of its flavor.”

“Thank you…do you perhaps have a light snack to go with this?”

Haru giggled and went to her pantry. She brought out a white box with golden script on the side and opened it revealing four beautiful muffins on the inside.

“Help yourself.”

Yusuke chose the cranberry muffin and waited for the coffee to cool a bit. On her signal, they both sipped.

“It’s delicious…dark, but with a hint of chocolatey sweetness. There’s also a quality of mystery in the aftertaste.”

“I’m so glad you feel that way! It’s exactly how I was trying to create it,” Haru said, beaming.

“It’s amazing you’ve managed to capture him in flavor. I think he’ll be touched by it. You demonstrate an understanding of him. I’m jealous.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t be. This is only the Ren that I know. You get to know sides of him that the rest of us don’t. If you were making a coffee for him, wouldn’t you change things a bit to match what you know of him?”

Yusuke contemplated this for a moment while he ate and drank.

“Yes, I suppose there are other portions of him that others might not know. He can be surprisingly vulnerable when we’re alone. He is also explosively passionate at times. He makes very wry jokes.”

“See, you understand him as well.”

“But how do I express that to him? And how do I make him feel everything that I feel about him?”

“Only you could really answer that,” Haru said.

“Yes, you are right. I have been seeking out the answer from others, and yet this relationship is between the two of us. Surely, only we have the understanding to what we are. Thank you Haru, for both the coffee and the wisdom. How much coffee blend are you going to give him?”

“Hm? Oh, I suppose a couple of pounds to start with. He can have as much as he wants, if he likes it. Or if you like it, please just ask, I’ll ship you some.”

“Ship?”

“Oh, yes, I’m using this as one of the blends in the cafe! I call it, ‘The Trickster’.’”

“You are wealthy on a level I don’t think I’ll ever understand,” Yusuke said.

“Thank you!”

***

Back in his room, Yusuke drew. The last few days had given him a lot to think about, and it was only by drawing could he make sense of what was in his mind.

His first sketch was a recreation of “Hope and Desire,” the piece that had won the last competition.

Hifumi had said that sometimes the best move was the simplest. In his case, the simplest thing Yusuke could do to express how he felt was to make art. Art was the way Yusuke tried to change the world, outside of being a Phantom Thief. Art was how he expressed his feelings and ideas. Art was how others could see his heart. Ren always appreciated his art, and Yusuke had to have the confidence to know that his appreciation of it wasn’t just polite acceptance. Perhaps the right piece of art would properly convey everything to him.

The second sketch was of Kanawabe.

He still had the contact information of the art dealer and his foundation. He could call it at any time and gain the financial support he had offered not long ago. At the time, Yusuke had decided to take a stand and believe in his own art. But belief wasn’t a way to actually _pay_ for anything. And while he was fine living off the modest means of his scholarship, it was painful when he couldn’t purchase something like a fine long coat that would bring out the smokiness of Ren’s eyes. Ann had said “sell a painting” as an aside, but it was a valid course of action. Perhaps he should call, and then have the funds to do something very nice for him.

The third sketch was the upper torsos of himself and Ren, embracing.

Though she was uncouth about it, Futaba had been right - physical expressions of love were a way to show Ren how much he meant to him. Perhaps conversing about such things with him and exploring his desires in that realm would be enjoyable for him. It certainly would be for Yusuke.

The fourth sketch was a stereotypical video game protagonist - spikey hair, long sword, impractical armor, framed by an explosion behind him.

“Normal guy stuff,” Ryuji had said. Although he hadn’t meant anything by it, Yusuke was pained by the expression. He knew he wasn’t a “normal guy.” He read art books. He went to museums. He watched documentaries on Van Gough and Monet. And it wasn’t that Yusuke had never enjoyed a manga or watched an action movie, but those were not what he naturally sought out. Then again, Ryuji’s entire point had been that it didn’t matter what he and Ren did - it was the fact that they were together. Perhaps Ren really was a “laid back guy.”

The fifth sketch - the Phantom Thieves.

Yusuke was truly grateful for Makoto’s explanation of Ren’s loneliness. When he first met him, Ren already had a whole team: Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana. He was already the cunning leader that they all looked up to. It would have never crossed his mind that Ren felt the same isolation that Yusuke did. And yet Makoto’s description of the newly-arrived Ren lent support to Ryuji’s feelings: it didn’t matter what they did, so long as they were together. It made Yusuke even more grateful for the Phantom Thieves.

The sixth sketch was a maid.

…Yusuke didn’t know what to do with this maid information.

The seventh sketch was an abstraction of a coffee mug.

Haru’s expression of Ren through coffee inspired and haunted Yusuke. It was elegant and accurate. It expressed her feelings through the medium of her mastery. It was meaningful for her and for him. Yusuke couldn’t help but still feel jealous of what she was accomplished.

But her wisdom was stronger than his jealousy. Only Yusuke and Ren could understand the relationship they shared. So all Yusuke had to do was capture that.

But how?

He shut his eyes and thought, letting his mind wander through the landscape of his infinite creativity. Truly, if he was just patient, the answer would appear…

Aha!

Yusuke sat up and laughed.

He rushed to get a canvas.

***

“I’m here,” Yusuke called up the stairs to LeBlanc’s storeroom/living space. “May I come up?”

“Of course,” Ren called down. Yusuke took a deep breath, adjusted the wrapped canvas under his arm, rebalanced the bag on his shoulder, and climbed the stairs.

“What do you think?” Ren asked as Yusuke reached the top. He turned and struck a pose. “Sexy?”

Yusuke laughed. Ren frowned.

“That wasn’t exactly the response I was looking for…”

“I apologize. I’m not laughing at you, I’m laughing at the circumstance,” Yusuke said. “The coat looks magnificent. It brings out the smokiness of your eyes.”

Ren preened a bit. It seemed Ann had gone through and got the coat for him.

Ren’s workbench had a few other presents scattered on it - the wrapped bag of coffee beans, the Featherman figure, the bottle of expensive cologne.

“You’ve had many visitors,” Yusuke said.

“Yes, they all came by earlier. They all seemed to want to get out of our way. We have very considerate friends.”

“Yes, indeed we do,” Yusuke said. He set down his bag and then presented the wrapped canvas.

“For me? This one’s large…what did you do this time?” Ren said, his smile sparkling beneath his dark features.

“I spent a great deal of time worrying about what to get you. I wanted it to express how I felt about you…but I also wanted it to be something that you enjoyed. And I wanted to capture our relationship.”

“That’s a lot of pressure for a single birthday gift,” Ren observed.

“Indeed it is. But I think I figured it out. Would you open it?”

Ren set the wrapped canvas down and tore open the paper with a single flourish. He lifted the canvas to examine it.

“…It’s blank.”

“Yes. Tonight, I want to paint this with you,” Yusuke said. He turned and opened his bag, revealing all of his supplies. “We’ll make it together. And every time we look at it, it’ll remind us of the evening we spent together.”

There was a teary sparkle in Ren’s smokey gaze as he stepped forward, smooth as the darkness. He cradled Yusuke’s cheek and kissed him.

“You’re an amazing man,” Ren whispered. “I don’t deserve you.”

“You do indeed deserve me. You deserve every wonderful thing in the world.”

They kissed one more time.

Then they set up everything -the easel, the paints, the tarp on the floor. Ren changed out of his new coat and put on some old clothes. They started creating together.

“…You know, this is really thoughtful but, I’m pretty easy,” Ren said. “Next time we can just make out and eat take out food.”

Yusuke internally grumbled.

Of all the people to be right, why would it have to be Futaba…


End file.
